People normally don’t like change. Taking this into consideration, there can be a double edged sword with hearing aids: they unlock an amazing new world of sounds for you, but they also represent a significant modification of your life. That level of change can be challenging, specifically if you’re somebody that has come to embrace the placid convenience of your daily routine. There are very particular challenges with new hearing aids. But making this change a positive one is mostly about learning how to adjust to these devices.
Here Are Some Quick Suggestion to Adapt to Your New Hearing Aids
Your hearing will be significantly enhanced whether you are getting your first hearing aids or upgrading to a more powerful model. That could be challenging depending on your circumstances. Utilizing these tips might make your transition a bit more comfortable.
When You First Get Your Hearing Aids Only Wear Them Intermittently
The more you wear your hearing aids, as a basic rule, the healthier your ears will be. But it can be a little uncomfortable when you’re getting used to them if you wear them for 18 hours a day. You may try to build up your stamina by starting with 8 hours and building up from there.
Listen to Conversations For Practice
When you first begin wearing your hearing aids, your brain will likely need a little bit of time to get accustomed to the concept that it’s able to hear sounds again. You could have a hard time hearing speech with clarity or following conversations during this adjustment time. But practicing using reading or listening exercises (like reading along to an audiobook) can help the language-hearing-and-interpreting region of your brain wake back up.
Get a Fitting For Your Hearing Aids
One of the first things you’ll do – even before you receive your final hearing aids – is go through a fitting process. Improving comfort, taking account of the size and shape of your ear canal, and adjusting for your individual loss of hearing are all things that a fitting helps with. You could require more than one adjustment. It’s important to consult us for follow-up appointments and to take these fittings seriously. When your hearing aids fit well, your devices will sit more comfortably and sound more natural. We can also assist you in making adjustments to different hearing environments.
Troubleshoot
Sometimes adapting to a new hearing aid is a little difficult because something’s not functioning quite right. Maybe you hear too much feedback (which can be uncomfortable). Or the hearing aid keeps falling out (which can be infuriating). These types of problems can make it hard to adapt to your hearing aids, so it’s a good idea to find solutions as early as possible. Try these tips:
- Ask your hearing professional to be certain that the hearing aids are correctly calibrated to your loss of hearing.
- Charge your hearing aids every evening or exchange the batteries. When the batteries on your hearing aids begin to decrease, they often do not work as efficiently as they’re meant to.
- If you hear a lot of feedback, make sure that your hearing aids are correctly sitting in your ears (it could be that your fit is just a bit off) and that there aren’t any blockages (such as excess earwax).
- talk about any buzzing or ringing with your hearing specialist. Occasionally, your cell phone will cause interference with your hearing aid. In other cases, it may be that we need to make some adjustments.
The Rewards of Adapting to Your New Hearing Aids
It may take a bit of time to adapt to your new hearing aids just as it would with new glasses. Hopefully, you will have a smoother and quicker transition with these guidelines. But if you stay with it – if you get yourself into a regimen with your hearing aids and really invest in adjusting to them – you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how it all becomes second-nature. And once that occurs, you’ll be able to devote your attention to the things you’re actually hearing: like your favorite shows or music or the daily conversations you’ve missed. Ultimately all these adjustments are well worth it. And sometimes change is not a bad thing.